Commonwealth Avenue Mall - Boston, MA
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 42° 21.220 W 071° 04.296
19T E 329384 N 4691123
The Commonwealth Avenue Mall is a stretch of green between the lanes of Commonwealth Avenue spanning between Boston Public Garden and the Olmsted Emerald Necklace of parks, and has many memorials of well known and lesser known figures along it.
Waymark Code: WMDCAW
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 12/23/2011
Views: 10
In Boston's Back Bay section is a long narrow stretch of green between the lanes of Commonwealth Avenue. This park is known as the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, which spans between two better known parks - Boston Public Garden and the system of parks known as the Olmsted Emerald Necklace.
The park is really a series of grassy areas, since the park is crossed by many roads. The total length is about 1.25 miles, while the width is less than 100 ft. The main path runs down the center of the park from end to end. There are many sculptures along the path. Many are well known figures, while many are less well known. Statues include: Leif Erikson - Viking explorer who was thought at one time to have landed on the riverbank of the Charles River; a trio of women, Abigail Adams, Phillis Wheatley and Lucy Stone, who were well known women figures with ties to Boston, Samuel Eliot Morison - sailor and historian; the velodrome firefighter memorial; and Alexander Hamilton - former U.S. President.
According to a web site by the city of Boston, the park was designed by Arthur Gilman in 1856. In the 1880s, Frederick Law Olmsted and Charles Sprague Sargeant, were consulted on the planting of trees. Elms were first planted, but, due to Dutch Elm disease, these trees died and were replaced with several varieties, including maples, sweet gum, green ash, and Japanese pagoda and elm. Fall is a particularly good time to walk this mall - when the leaves turn yellow and orage.
Name: Commonwealth Avenue Mall
Street Location: Between the lanes of Commonwealth Avenue
Local Municipality: Boston
State/Province, etc.: Massachusetts
Country: United States of America
Web Site: [Web Link]
Memorial/Commemoration: Not the park, itself
Date Established: 1/1/1858
Picnic Facilities: There are no picnic facilities at this location.
Recreational Facilities:
There are no recreation facilities at this location.
Monuments/Statues: Many. A longer list is included above. Well known figures include Leif Ericson, Abigail Adams, Phillis Wheatley, Lucy Stone, and Alexander Hamilton.
Art (murals/sculpture, etc.): None at this location.
Fountains: Leif Ericson statue used to have a working fountain.
Ponds/Lakes/Streams/Rivers/Beach: None at this location.
Special Events: None are known.
Traditional Geocaches:
None known.
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Visit Instructions:
One photo of the park that is a different view from the one on the page, and give the date and description your visit.
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